Deep fryer with oil and nuggets

Can You Reuse Oil After Frying Fish?

This post may contain affiliate links which means that, if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.


Home cooks are always looking for ways to save on buying extra things. Constant purchases of things like oil, spices, flour, and special sauces add to the cost. Some home chefs try to save money by reusing items instead of throwing them away. 

Yes, you can reuse the oil multiple times. Most restaurants use the same oil repeatedly and change it out on a set schedule unless it starts making the food taste differently. A good rule of thumb is to not use the oil more than four times. The longest you can keep oil for reuse is three months.

Are You Sure It Is Safe?

Cooking experts state reusing fry oil is perfectly safe. There are some general rules on how many times you can use it before it becomes risky. 

The oil can be used up to eight times and maybe longer if you are using it to cook only “clean frying” items, like potatoes and non-battered vegetables. The oil’s life can be stretched out if you are adding fresh oil to the old oil regularly. 

One rule of thumb is to pay attention to how food tastes. As long as items cooked in the oil taste good, it is fine to use. However, food that tastes “off” is a sure indicator the oil needs to be changed. 

That doesn’t mean the food is bad, and the oil isn’t dangerous. It just means the oil is causing a bad taste. 

There is some contradictory information from health gurus regarding reusing oil. They insist that reusing oil without a deep fryer is unhealthy. One of the reasons is that this type of oil increases peroxides acids and cholesterol. 

However, homemakers have been saving frying pan oil and bacon grease for decades without ill effects. There isn’t any real difference in heating oil in a frying pan or a deep fryer. 

Do you need to do anything to store oil?

Cooks can extend the life of their oil and keep their food tasting cleaner by cleaning the oil out after every use. The first thing to do is let the oil cool after frying. Then, use a utensil to remove any large batches of batter or food left in it.

Another method is to completely strain the oil using a metal colander over a metal bowl. The oil can then be put back in the deep fryer or stored in a metal container. Keeping oil in the deep fryer, such as one of the appliances on the market, is fine. It doesn’t need to be kept in the refrigerator or at a certain temperature.

Keeping it in a deep fryer makes it easy to reuse whenever it’s needed. Some people who don’t fry often freeze their oil. This isn’t necessary because unused oil will keep for months, but freezing is an option.

The oil should be changed out at least every three months if you use it regularly to keep the food tasting good. 

How else can you store oil?

Those who deep fry items in a pot or pan rather than in a deep fryer can store the oil in a separate metal container. In the old days, homemakers had an oil container as part of a canister set. The oil container had a strainer that sits on top so you can strain off oil as you put it into the container. 

Those old canister sets can be found at flea markets or antique stores, but are hard to find in department stores. Those who don’t have a traditional oil container can use a metal container with a top to hold reusable oil. Washed coffee cans work very well. Their lids are plastic, but that is fine as long as the oil is cooled when it’s put in the can.

Plastic containers can be used if the oil is cool when you pour it. Metal cans are by far the safest way to hold oil as some oil may not be completely cool when poured. Also, metal cans don’t hold smells and flavors as other types of containers do. That keeps your oil cleaner, longer.

Tips for Keeping Oil Fresh

Cooks who keep oil follow rules to keep oil fresh and food tasting clean. None of these rules affect the health quality of the oil but will optimize it as well as enhance the taste of food.

 For most in the food industry, these rules make good sense. 

Be careful to choose a good oil

Peanut Oil
Peanut Oil

Certain oils are better for deep-frying than other oils. Any oil you choose should have a high smoking point. 

The smoking point is the temperature that causes oil to smoke and break down. Oils that can be cooked longer at higher temperatures include vegetable oils, canola, and peanut oils. 

For instance, Cajun cooks love peanut oil because of the amount of deep-frying used in their recipes. 

Olive oil is a good oil for many things but it isn’t recommended for deep frying. It has a low smoking point, so it will break down sooner than other oils making it unusable quicker. At its high cost, that makes olive oil impractical to use for deep frying. 

Fry food correctly

Using the correct temperature during frying will not only make your food delicious but will also prolong the life of your oil. Cooking at too high a temperature will do two things: Burn your food on the outside but leave it raw on the inside and break down your oil.

Used oil can be effective in deep frying to a degree. It gets closer to the food when there is some limited breakdown, allowing for crisper food. This is why good chefs may add some old oil to new oil. 

However, when it starts to break down too much it enters food too fast, making it greasy and not crispy. This is a sure sign it needs to be replaced.

The oil that breaks down will lead to food that tastes terrible and greasy. Practicing solid temperature control prevents “broken” oil. Making sure you have the right temperature is as simple as buying a high-heat thermometer. These devices will go up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 C). 

Pay attention to the range dial and don’t be afraid to change it as needed. New food dropped into the oil will bring the temperature down temporarily. You will need to move the dial-up but then bring it back down when the thermometer reaches the right heat.

Filtering the Fat

As stated, filtering your oil will get rid of any impurities that could hurt the oil’s purity. Utensils that have strainers can easily remove most particles and larger food trash. Those who want to get every crumb out of it can use cheesecloth instead of a metal colander. 

Separating Oils

This step is incredibly important to those frying fish. Most restaurants keep oils used for certain things separated so the flavors don’t mix. For instance, an oil used for vegetables is only used for vegetables. An oil used for chicken is used only for chicken. An oil used for fish is used only for fish. 

It’s not that it is unsafe to use these oils for other things. It’s fine to do so, but the flavors of things that are cooked in oil linger in the oil and could transfer to other foods. When cooking fish, the fish flavor could remain. That is fine if you are cooking other seafood, like shrimp, but may make other types of food taste “fishy.”

Oil that is used for frying fish may also develop a fish odor. This is another reason why it may not be the best idea to use it to cook other foods. Oil that has a strong fish odor should be thrown out because that is a symptom of overuse.

When do you stop using oil?

Oil may go bad before the three-month changing mark. It depends on how much you fry and what you fry. You will know when the oil needs to be changed when it has the following symptoms of bad oil:

  • It turns darker, and especially if it looks darker brown. That means it has a burned element to it. 
  • It has a gummy, sticky consistency.
  • It smells scorched. 

Other signs the oil needs to be thrown out include a foam floating on the surface of the oil and if it seems to smoke earlier in the cooking cycle or before you get it up to a hotter heat. 

Oil that has been used at extremely high temperatures should also be thrown out. Oil that has been heated to more than 425 degrees could be burned and unusable because of its breakdown.  

Conclusion

Those who want their foods to always taste good need to pay attention to their oil and how they use it. Oil can last through several cookings if you keep it clean and stored properly.

Similar Posts